Parcel and tracked prices to increase again from October 2025.

Parent company International Distribution Services (IDS) announcing a return to profit for Royal Mail for the year ending 31 March 2025,  and maybe as a result of this there are no changes to basic letter prices for the second half of this year.

Royal Mail significantly improved its financial and operational performance, returning to an adjusted operating profit (excluding voluntary redundancy costs) of £12 million for the first time in three years, following significant losses in 2022-23 and 2023-24. This is in line with guidance and was achieved despite an increasingly competitive and challenging trading environment.

Not included in the announcement, nor anywhere else in the IDS Media Centre pages, but included on the Royal Mail website is a new 'Our Prices' leaflet (pdf) effective from 6 October 2025.  

No change to inland letter prices

The headline news for most of us is that basic Letter and Large Letter prices remain unchanged for both 2nd and 1st class.  Prices for Small Parcels show very modest increases of 10p and 9p for 1st and 2nd class, whilst Medium Parcels rise by 4% or under.  (New prices in bold, unchanged in italics.)

	1st		2nd
Letter	1.70	1.70	0.87	0.87
Large Letter – 100g	3.15	3.15	1.55	1.55
- 250g	3.60	3.60	2.00	2.00
- 500g	3.60	3.60	2.40	2.40
- 750g	3.60	3.60	2.70	2.70
Small Parcel 2kg	5.09	4.99	3.99*	3.90
Medium Parcel 2kg	7.45	6.99	6.49	6.29
- 10kg	9.35	8.99	8.19	7.89
- 20kg	14.25	13.69	12.25	11.89

Signed For prices for Letters and Large Letters remain similarly unchanged whilst parcels show small rises.  (* Thanks to everybody who pointed out the error; the fact that it wasn't in italics showed that there was a change, I just didn't finish editing it.)

Tracked 24/48 prices show small rises across the board with a basic Large Letter (up to 750g) prices increased by 15p, to £3.80 (24) and £2.95 (48), with the same increases for the Signature option.  Parcels show small rises.

Special Delivery up to 100g rise 5.7% from £8.75 to £9.25, up to 500g from 4% from £9.85 to £10.25.  Those who choose the 9 a.m. option see 28% increase from £38.95 to £49.95 for the basic 100g weight! 

International rates.  The basic worldwide letter and postcard rate rises from £3.20 to £3.40 (6.25%) airmail and from £3.10 to £3.30 for Economy (surface). Prices for airmail Large Letters and Parcels for all Zones remain unchanged, while Economy rates over 250g increase.    Economy Small Parcels rise by from 17% to over 30%.

The good news is that prices for all premium services (International Signed, International Tracked, and International Tracked and Signed) remain unchanged. 

New stamp

This means that there will be a new £3.40 stamp.  More details when we have them from Royal Mail - readers say that the stamp will be issued on 30 September, from their standing order advice notes.

UPDATE 8 September:

A new £3.40 definitive stamp, representing the new international postage rate for letters up to
100g, will be introduced by Royal Mail on 30 September 2025. The £3.40 stamp is printed in Dark
Green. The King’s effigy appears alongside a 2D barcode printed in matching colour alongside the
main body of the stamp, separated by a simulated perforation line.

King Charles III £3.40 definitive in dark green, to be issued 30 September 2025.

Royal Mail customers with a regular order for definitive stamp sets will receive this set as part of their
ongoing subscription.  There will also be an official first day cover and single-stamp presentation pack.

RM Product code DS2200 Dark Green: up to 100g all Europe & World Zones 

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September postmark slogans and other interesting postal markings.

September starts (as August ended) with the default British Heart Foundation slogan.  Las year we had Air Ambulances week and 'Thinking of You' week one of the regular exhortations from the greetings card industry to 'send a card'.

Here's an early example of the BHF slogan that we received at home. This is from Peterborough Mail Centre dated 02-09-2025

British Heart Foundation slogan from Peterborough Centre 02-09-2025

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As expected the slogan for Air Ambulance Week has now appeared.  Thanks to PC for this one from South East Anglia Mail Centre 06/09/2025.

Support your
Air Ambulance

Air Ambulance Week
September 9th - 15th

Support Your Air Ambulance slogan South East Anglia Mail Centre 06/09/2025

 

 

 

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Other postmarks and postal markings, etc

I haven't seen any news reports about this postbox repainted recently in Dartford, reported by Lars Tåders.  Let us know if you see any more - although as they are almost certainly unofficial I probably won't give them too much publicity.

I suppose commercial sponsorship of postboxes would be another way to make money but I don't think this will happen!

 

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Remember, slogan postmarks appearing in Sepember will be added to this post, so check here before you spend time scanning and emailing.

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DUCK!!! - Flock of 10 landing on 11 September 2025

These stamps have quite attractive photographs and the set includes a mix of 2nd and 1st class stamps which will please letter writers across the country - as well as those collectors who are still buying everything that Royal Mail churns out.

But why?  This is a continuation of the Animals and Nature series - but we had Garden WIldlife in March, and Mushrooms in July.  At this rate can we expect Royal Mail to be issuing as many stamps as their fulfilment services in Duxford and Edinburgh, and the printers, can cope with?

I've delayed so far and I must now quote to you Royal Mail's justification for this set - aside from the fact that they know collectors will but them there are, apparently a lot of influencers out there videoing ducks - I kid you not!

Reason (slightly edited)

Royal Mail are excited to reveal a set of 10 stamps celebrating the UK species of ducks. Of over 120 duck species globally, 22 are found in the UK, inhabiting our rivers, wetlands, coasts, and estuaries.

Ducks have become surprisingly collectible (albeit mostly the rubber variety!) and are now a full-blown TikTok sensation with adorable ducks waddling through kitchens to pet ducks splashing in bath tubs, the hashtag #ducks has racked up hundreds of thousands of posts and millions of views.

With these stamps we extend our animals and nature series of issues, with a set of ten stamps featuring many of the popular breeds found in the UK both in flight and in their natural environment.

The stamps

Set of 5 x 2nd class and 5 x 1st class stamps featuring British ducks issued 11 September 2025.

2nd Class: Goosander, Indian Runner, Mallard Duckling, Mandarin and Call.

1st Class: Aylesbury, Pintail, Silver Appleyard, Shelduck, and Eider.

Now I know it's fine to show both male and female of the species, but the male eider is one of the most distinctive ducks in the country.  Not just for its call but for its striking plumage of black and white, with green patches and a pink lower breast.  (What other bird has this colour green?)  Seen widely but especially on the east coast from Aberdeenshire to Northumberland this is one you couldn't fail to identify - once seen never forgottne.  But not the female on the stamp which, from a distance, looks much like many other female ducks.

 Male eider duck pictured in a harbour on Aberdeenshire's north coast.

Technical details and acknowledgements

The 37 x 35 mm stamps are printed in two sheets of 50 in litho with ordinary gum by Cartor Security Printers, perf 14½ x 14.   Design was by Michael O'Shea and copyright Royal Mail Group Ltd 2025.

Collectors Sheet

A collectors sheet consisting of the 10 stamps in the set with accompanying labels of ducks in their natural habitat. The stamps and labels are set with the lower border showing a female Goosander carrying her chicks.
Note: The Collector Sheet is printed on self-adhesive paper so these stamps are a print variety.

Sheet containing  5 x 2nd class and 5 x 1st class stamps featuring British ducks
issued 11 September 2025.

Products available 

Set of 10 stamps, first day cover, presentation pack, collectors sheet, framed set, framed sheet.

 

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